Members of the Muslim community stage a demonstration over the issue of ‘I Love Mohammad’ posters, in Thane, Maharashtra, Friday, September 26, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
A petition has been moved before the Delhi High Court challenging multiple FIRs and arrests in connection with posters bearing the words “I Love Muhammad,” which the petitioners described as “expressions of devotion.”
The plea, filed by Shujaat Ali, a representative of Raza Academy and National President of the Muslim Students Organisation of India, claimed that the FIRs were “communal in nature” and violated their “fundamental rights.”
It argued that the cases were registered in several places, including Kaiserganj and Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, against “ordinary citizens from the Muslim community who merely sought to celebrate their religious festivals and express their devotion to God by way of posters, banners, and peaceful gatherings.”
“The Petitioners are not habitual offenders; they are peace-loving citizens exercising their constitutionally guaranteed right to celebrate their faith in a manner of their choosing. Criminalising such conduct on communal lines not only violates fundamental rights, but also threatens communal harmony and public order,” the plea said.
The petition further submitted that, “without any cogent or independent evidence, they have been framed in multiple criminal cases by members of the majority community, who levelled allegations of rioting, criminal intimidation, and breach of peace against them.”
It alleged that the FIRs “appeared to have been lodged with the sole object of criminalising the religious expression of a minority group.”
The controversy dates back to September 9, 2025, when police in Kanpur filed an FIR against nine named and 15 unidentified persons for allegedly installing boards with “I Love Muhammad” written on them on a public road during a Barawafat procession.
Published – September 27, 2025 08:00 pm IST
